I've hunted this yard in the past with good results, so I was hoping to get another shot today.
Maybe that was my motivation, but I got more than I wanted to get done before noon!
I got out my gear and started detecting, but the yard was slim pickins today. I managed a few clad coins as I worked my way toward a grapevine that I could tell had been there for some time.
I got a weak, jumpy nickel signal at the base of one of the vines. My machine was telling me it was close to 5-inches deep, so I wanted to see what it was.
At first, I wasn't sure if it was a coin. My first thought was that it was a round metal punchout. I've been fooled by them before.
To my surprise, it was a coin. Actually, the only identifiable thing on it is the date - 1910. Right then I knew that I had found a good old v-nickel.
It seemed to be in rough shape.
In all my years of metal detecting and all the coins I've found, I've never had a nickel in this type of condition:
Cleaned up - front & back v-nickel
The more I look at it, it looks like it was in a fire. There is some type of crusty material on the backside.
I've seen some guys clean up their dug nickels to a great condition. I'm not big into cleaning my coins usually, but I wouldn't mind experimenting with this one. If anyone has any tips or experience with cleaning nickels, please share it in an e-mail or in the comments.
With this find, I knew there was life left in the site, and I was hoping for more. So I spent the next 15-minutes in that area, hunting it hard.
I came up with a small ornate buckle.
I worked my way up the borderline and I got a sweet deep quarter signal. I dug the plug and a glimpse of silver caught my eye.
Turned out to be a 1937 silver Washington quarter.
No way would I have found this if the fence was still there.
Satisfied with the hunt, I decided to take a break and head into town.
***
I called a friend of mine to ask permission earlier, and I got a call back with the go-ahead just as I was getting into my truck... so, I headed straight over to his house, built in the 1920's.
It didn't take me long to get there and get started.
Nine times out of ten when I arrive at a new site, one of the first things I look for are the old washline posts. I tend to have good luck in those areas, because you know there was action in those parts of the property.
I did a quick (couple minute) scan and got a couple decent signals so I started to dig. The first hole in turned up an old makeup compact from (I'm guessing) the 40's or 50's.
I dug a few clad coins, a few pieces of trash, and turned up another makeup compact.
A few minutes later, I got a jumpy signal - and I found a smashed thimble. I enjoy finding thimbles...
I've found a small collection over the years.
The next decent target was a little copper buckle and then I also managed to find a 1944 wheat penny before it got ridiculously hot and I decided to call it quits.
I like when days like this happen. I got called into work at the last minute, and threw my machine in the truck on my way out the door. All-in-all it was a great day.
Today's keepers.
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